Dinner Bowls

So far, this week has been all about long work days and dinners that can fit into a bowl.

I had planned to make quinoa veggie bowls this week, but after digging through my cabinets I realized I only had a tiny bit of the grain left, so I had to improvise. I found a forgotten jar of wheatberries, and they did the trick. My grandmother actually got me into wheatberries last year, and I love their firm, chewy texture. So different from most of the grains we eat on a regular basis! Wheatberries are actually the entire wheat kernel - bran, germ and all - so they are full of health benefits. I also love that they're nearly impossible to overcook - you can simmer away for as long as you want, but those little grain buds will never become mushy.

I made "Greek Wheatberries"by sautéing red onion, garlic, zucchini, cauliflower, mushrooms and green pepper together (okay, not entirely Greek here, but I needed to use up some veggies) in a little olive oil and tossing them together with a cup of wheatberries I had cooked with vegetable broth. Then I added oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, s&p, low fat feta cheese, a few kalamata olives I had lying around, a sprinkling of toasted walnuts, and a handful of freshly chopped basil (also needed to get used up).

Matt and I both agreed, this was one delicious bowl. The feta cheese melted into the vegetables and made the dish a little creamy, and the olives gave it a nice salty bite. One of the better hodge podges of vegetables I've thrown together!

Last night gnocchi was on the menu - whole wheat gnocchi with ricotta, lemon and peas, that is.

That looks like a whole lotta white, but it was much more flavorful than it looks. I've been making this dish for 5 or 6 years now - I originally saw a recipe for it on Food Network (theirs of course was filled with olive oil and parmesan cheese), and now I always make it when I have leftover ricotta cheese that I need to use up. Into the pan went:

(Gnocchi for two people)

- 2 cups of cooked gnocchi (I used frozen here)
- 1/2 cup skim ricotta cheese
- 1 cup frozen peas
- Zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon
- Salt and pepper

Voila - Italian in 10 minutes. And it's sooo good. The lemon really gives it a nice fresh flavor. We ate our gnocchi alongside green salads before watching (I know) another episode of Sons of Anarchy. We're into season 2 now, and it just keeps getting better. I'm just going to plow through this show until I've watched everything Netflix has to give me.

Off to start that work thing - happy Wednesday!